


i ft\ 






H 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



027 249 435 6 



Hollinger Corp. 
pH 8.5 



FN 4121 
.T7 

Copy 1 



Lincoln- Jefferson 
University 

Extension Department 
Lecture 

Effective Public Speaking* 
in Business Life 



By 
Thomas Clarkson Trueblood, A. M. 

Professor of Oratory 
University of Michigan 

Copyright, 190!), by Lincoln-Jefferson University 



^ 



V 






By transfer 
The White House 

: ■; -•- 1913 




EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN BUSINESS LIFE. 
By Thomas C. Trueblood 

Effectiveness in public speaking is an asset that the business 
man as well as the public man should take into account. Train- 
ing in this art means development of many faculties and devel- 
opment along many lines of culture. It means that one in public 
or private address must cultivate the art of agreeableness, must 
so develop in voice, articulation, general manner, and in tact of 
expression as to impress favorably those whom one meets socially, 
in public life or in business transactions. 

Effectiveness in speaking is broad in its usefulness. It begins 
at home. What can give more pleasure in the home or social 
circle than the skillful reading by' one member of the family of 
some literary masterpiece, or even a magazine or newspaper arti- 
cle? It is a good place to begin training in public speech. The 
best reader of the family usualy does the reading. The variety 
and expressiveness of his voice affects the other members of the 
family favorably in that it sets a standard of expression which 
all try to emulate. If there is life and animation, even dramatic 
effectiveness, others when they read or talk will strive for like 
animation and effectiveness. One's tastes in vocal expression 
are determined in great measure by environment. To illustrate: 
Edwin Booth was constantly associated with his father on the 
stage and grew up with no other than the best notions of expres- 
siveness. The late Dr. Studley, who occupied the best pulpits 
in Boston, Cincinnati and Chicago, as a boy was accustomed to 
frequent the theatres of Boston. His older brother was an actor 
in a stock company and often played with Forrest, the Elder 
Booth, and MacCready. Young Studley was so imbued with ex- 
pressive interpretation that monotony and droning, so common 
in the reading and speaking heard in the pulpits, had no place 
in his makeup. He made it a daily practice to read aloud from 
the plays of Shakespeare. "Sometimes," he says, "I take up one 
of my favorite plays and find myself reading for two or three 
hours, when I am reminded that I must be at my sermons." This 
developed in him a voice of marvelous sweetness and power. The 
result was that his Bible and hymn readings were a revelation to 
his audiences. These instances and many more which might be 
added lead to the conclusion that one's early surroundings have 
everything to do with his tastes in interpretation, in vocal re- 
sponsiveness and expression. Now the value to the business man 
of these elements of power which are so useful in the home circle, 
on the stage, in the pulpit and on the platform make it impera- 
tive that he do not slight this phase of business training. Is it not 
reasonable that a business man whose voice and manner and ex- 
pression are agreeable, other things being equal, will do more 
business and do it with greater ease than the man whose voice 

3 



4 THOMAS C. TRUEBLOOD 

is harsh, whose expression is monotonous and whose manner is 
forbidding? If you were to go to the courts in search of a man 
to plead your cause, to manage a case involving thousands of 
dollars, would you select the man of awkward manner, of monot- 
onous voice, of poor reasoning power, or would you choose the 
man who is pleasing in manner and voice and persuasive as a 
speaker? Grant that these men are of equal scholarship, industry 
and legal acumen; I feel sure that the latter advocate would be 
chosen to conduct your case. 

A few years ago a young lad came to the University of Michi- 
gan who was much interested in public speaking and. who was 
bent on winning honors. He tried three successive years, rising 
higher in rank each time. The third time he was successful. He 
was chosen University orator and won the contest for the Uni- 
versity in the Northern Oratorical League in which he was pitted 
against representatives from six other universities. He then 
entered the debates and helped to win three victories for his 
Alma Mater. After leaving college he established himself in busi- 
ness in Detroit and offered his services as speaker in the political 
campaigns. Within two years he was elected State Senator, and 
though the youngest man in the Legislature he was called upon 
to put in nomination the successful candidate for the United. 
States Senate. . Later he was made a member of the State Con- 
stitutional Convention. All, I contend, because he persisted in 
learning the business of speaking. 

Another honor debater of the University secured desk room 
with one of the largest law firms in the city of Detroit. Within 
six months a will case involving half a million dollars was to come 
up for trial. This young man set to work to master the. law and 
the facts. . When the members of the firm came together to lay 
plans for the trial they found that the young debater knew more 
about the case than all the rest of them combined. The member' 
who usually makes the leading argument turned to the young 
man and said : "You will have to make the speech." He did 
make the speech and won the case. It was all because as a col- 
lege debater he had learned the business of investigation and the 
art of putting things. 

William Jennings Bryan, Senators Beveridge and LaFollette 
took part in college oratorical contests, the last two being win- 
ners of Interstate contests. Beveridge as a lawyer in Indianapolis 
steadily refused office that he might devote his time to his pro- 
fessional work, but he let it be known to the political managers 
that he was at their service as a campaigner. He made himself 
known in every hamlet in the State of Indiana, and when he 
sought the United States Senatorship the politicians could not 
refuse him because they were all under obligations to him. When 
he was made Senator he went to the Philippines to study the 
situation in our new possessions. When he returned and entered 



EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN BUSINESS LIFE ■ 5 

the Senate the leaders found that lie i ly one of their 

number who had visited those islands and the only one prepared 
to speak on the subject. He had learned the art of speaking and 
had the foresight to seize the opportunities in which he could 
use his skill for the public good. 

Without multiplying examples of similar successes I would 
call attention to another phase of speaking that should appeal 
especially to the business man. Almost all important business 
transactions are carried on in committees or in board meetings. 
Little is heard of many of our Congressmen and Senators in 
public speeches at Washington, but who will doubt that their 
short pithy speeches in the committee rooms have much to do 
with shaping national legislation. It is not the long speeches that 
are always most persuasive or that have most to dp in determining 
the trend of business affairs. The speech that has come to be the 
most famous in our annals is not the two-hour speech of Everett 
at Gettysburg but the two-minute speech of Lincoln on the same 
occasion. 

These are sufficient illustrations, it would seem, to make it clear 
to the young business man that it is wise to cultivate with stren- 
uous care his power of speech, a power which all men possess in 
varying degrees but which some have neither the grit nor the 
will to stimulate by exercise. The question naturally suggests 
itself, what preparation from a physical and an intellectual stand- 
point is necessary for effective public speaking? 

The body as an instrument of expression should be trained for 
symmetry, strength, endurance and nerve force. Symmetry is 
acquired by consistent development of the whole physical man. 
If possible young men between the ages of fourteen and twenty 
should place themselves in the hands of a good physical trainer ; 
at least they should have opportunity now and then for some 
wholesome advice on the care of the body. A good trainer will 
find out the parts of the body . that most need development, he 
will correct the carriage of the body, get the head and chest up in 
a manly, easy position ; in short, make as nearly a perfect form for 
his height as can be made of the man. Getting started right 
physically means much to men all their lives, for the accumulation 
of physical fitness and symmetry are much the same as the accu- 
mulation of mental resources when one is most impressionable. 

Not only is symmetry a requisite of physical preparedness but 
one must have strength. This comes from development of mus- 
cular fiber by exercise. This may come from the use of certain 
mechanical appliances but it may come from what is far more 
exhilarating and therefore more beneficial, from the participation 
in some outdoor game such as baseball, tennis or golf, vigorous 
physical exercise in which the mind is bent, not on the exercise, 
but on the desire to excel at the sport. This adds skill to- 
strength, for it should always be the idea to develop vitality not 



6 THOMAS C. TRUEBLOOD 

brawn. Such exercise should be vigorous without being violent 
or excessive. The main purpose should be to develop the chief 
factors of good health, the heart, the lungs, the digestive appara- 
tus and the nervous system. No one can have endurance who has 
not these factors developed to approximate perfection. Strength 
of lungs comes from full chest expansion in the open air, the 
increase of lung capacity by exercises which expand and enlarge 
the air cells. Did you ever attempt to declaim while walking 
briskly? The feeling of oppression in the lungs is caused by 
nature's effort to supply more air than there is room for. The 
double requirement of muscular exercise in walking and in speak- 
ing calls for much more than the ordinary amount of air. This 
we get by more rapid breathing, and wider expansion cz the 
lungs. We learn that Demosthenes declaimed while climbing 
the hills about Athens. It was for the purpose of gaining lung 
power and hence endurance. Can the youth of today do wiser 
than to follow the plan of the most celebrated of ancient orators? 
The new philosophy of open air and fresh air all the time is 
improving the strength and endurance of the race. A sound 
heart must have healthful blood, healthful blood requires whole- 
some food and complete oxygenation. To contribute to the gen- 
eral endurance of the body the heart must have vigorous exercise. 
It is muscular and must be developed as other muscles by giving 
it more than the ordinary exercise to add to its strength and en- 
durance. 

Likewise nerve force depends upon the elements of good health 
already mentioned. Without good food, good digestion and good 
blood the nerves cannot be properly nourished, and cannot endure 
the strain of thought and life of those seeking success in business, 
and especially in those professions that require public speaking. 

Not only should the body be trained for strength and endur- 
ance but it should be trained for grace and ease of bearing, ges- 
ture and other bodily movements. How may one acquire ease of 
bearing? In the first place the public speaker should learn how 
to stand on the platform. Positions that are restful and entirely 
excusable in one's own apartments would not be tolerated on 
the platform. An attitude appropriate on deck of a lurching ship 
would be out of place in public speaking, unless it be used for the 
purposes of impersonation. Awkward and inappropriate gestures 
and attitudes detract from effectiveness because they call attention 
away from the thought to the manner of the speaker. For all prac- 
tical purposes of speaking the body should be held erect, the head 
up and the chest active. The weight should be nearly equally 
poised on both feet and legs. One foot should be advanced from 
four to six inches and directed from the heel of the back foot. The 
angle between the feet should be a little less than a right angle. 
Variety and rest may be had by exchanging the relative position of 
the feet but preserving the same conditions. This gives a firm, 



EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN BUSINESS LIFE 7 

strong position without the effect of the military position on the 
one hand, or the lazy bent-kneed position on the other. Practice 
in this position if kept up for a while will make one free and 
easy in position and make former inappropriate attitudes seem 
awkward and uncomfortable. The position just described is the 
normal position in public address and is appropriate in most forms 
of argument, didactic discourse, narration and description where 
there is no great display of feeling or emotion. 

But there are times when the force of sympathy, great in- 
terest or appeal will draw one nearer to the people. Then the 
body inclines forward, the feet taking another distinct position. 
The forward foot is extended several inches in advance of the 
normal position and receives the weight of the body. The heel of 
the back foot is lifted slightly from the floor and rests upon the 
ball of the foot as a kind of balance to the body. This position 
may be practiced very profitably by stepping forward alternately 
with the right and left foot, halting with the weight on the for- 
ward foot and extending the hands as if in welcome or appeal. 

Another physical requirement very desirable for the public 
speaker is ease r of gesture. When one's gestures are angular, out 
of time and lack force they are noticeable and in so far are awk- 
ward and ineffective. It was said of Wendell Phillips that he 
seldom used gestures, but the experts who studied his methods 
while he was speaking say that he was constantly gesturing. 
Every movement was so appropriate and so necessary that none 
was noticed. Phillips acquired this skill by practice upon simple 
movements that bear on grace of gesture. One should visit art 
galleries and study positions of arms and hands in sculpture and 
painting, visit the theatre where the best of players are perform- 
ing and study their bodily movements in the expression of various 
passions. But better still one should place oneself in charge of a 
teacher who understands the fundamental principles of gesture, 
the states of feeling expressed by those principles and the meth- 
ods of acquiring effectiveness. It will be enough here to call at- 
tention to the fact that the open or supine hand is used in appeal- 
ing, asking, welcome, giving, receiving, revealing ; the prone, with 
palm down, in blessing, caressing, moulding, shaping, concealing, 
denying ; the index or forefinger, in enumerating, designating 
points of argument, particularizing, rebukes ; and the clenched fist, 
known perfectly well to all peoples of the world, in menace, de- 
fiance, attack or the expression of great emphasis or vitality. 
There are other principles but these are the four most used by the 
public speaker. 

Practice on these principles may be had by the simple method of 
counting, by threes, i, 2, 3, or by fives, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, emphasizing 
the last count in each set with one of the principles of gesture just 
discussed. Such practice will give ease, force and woper timing 
of gesture. 



8 THOMAS C. TRUEBLOOD 

Conception of gesture is the next point of vital importance. 
There should be no gesture without the impulse or desire to en- 
force the thought with some bodily movement. A gesture would 
better be awkward or out of time than without impulse. Then 
the speaker should make his theme more prominent than himself. 
He should hide behind his subject and lead his audience to think 
and feel with him. The tendency of the public speaker to act out 
things which should be left to the imagination should be carefully 
guarded against. The speaker should personate only when utter- 
ing the direct word, or the strong emotion of a character, and 
should make a clear distinction between the reciter and the actor. 
For example in the following lines : 

"Then whirling up his broadsword 
With both hands to the height, 
He rushed against Horatius, 
And smote with all his might," 
it is not necessary to undertake the action described. This does 
not mean that there should be no action but that what is used 
should be suggestive, not personative. The action may be pointed 
out by the describer and pictured to the imagination but not actu- 
ally clone. The actor, on the other hand, is aided by costume, 
scenery and his support. He draws and sheathes his sword, gives 
a letter or a book. The orator or reader cannot do this.- He may 
extend his hand with an imaginary letter and open his hand to 
receive a material thing but he must leave the rest to the imagina- 
tion of the audience. In this connection.it should be noted that 
one should not literalize figurative language. For example, in 
the sentence, "I appeal to the heart of the nation," there need be 
no literal action toward one's own heart to make this thought im- 
pressive. 

The most important element in physical development for speak- 
ing is vocal effectiveness. The voice as an instrument should be 
trained to meet the requirements of purity, strength and flexibil- 
ity. If well developed in these particulars the voice is capable of 
responding to every requirement in expression. Purity of tone 
requires free vibration of the vocal cords, a healthfulness of the 
resonance cavities and the vocalization of all the breath used. 
Strength depends upon the breadth of vibrations of the cords and 
the power to project and sustain the tones. Flexibility depends 
upon the elasticity of the vocal cords and upon one's power to 
vary the tones through the scale of pitch. 

Vocal culture, which is necessary to develop these attributes of 
voice, is dependent upon correct breathing. If the method of 
breathing is correct, vocalization becomes voice culture. But even 
with the best of methods the voice must not be overworked. It 
must have rest and time to grow. The law of correct breathing 
in vocalization is as follows : In taking in breath there should be 
an increase of the size of the waist and the lower chest ; in expira- 



EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN BUSINESS LIFE 9 

tion there should be a decrease in the size of the waist and the 
lower chest. The chest should begin to enlarge from its lowest 
depths. The lungs are. the bellows of the vocal apparatus, and 
like a bellows it must be acted upon at its largest part, that part 
farthest from the point. To attempt to supply air for voice pro- 
duction with the niuscles of the upper part of the chest and 
throat would be as sensible as to squeeze the point of a bellows 
in blowing a fire. No one can make consistent progress vocally 
who depends chiefly upon the muscles of the upper chest. 

To acquire the use of the waist and abdominal muscles the fol- 
lowing exercise has been found adequate in the most stubborn 
cases : With a slight occlusive cough of uh, sound each of the 
syllables, ha, he, hi, ho, hu, three times, thus : uh-ha, uh-ha, uh-ha, 
uh-he, uh-he, uh-he, etc. Take breath after each set, with special 
care that the waist line is expanded in catching breath and is de- 
creased gradually by the impulses of vocalization. 

Having acquired right methods of breathing then comes the 
process of vocal culture. A few of the best exercises are as 
follows : 

i. Practice the vowel sounds a, e,~i, 6, as follows: Each sound 
is given four times and then some word containing the sound. For 
example : a, a, a, a, ale ; e, e, e, e, eve ; etc. 

2. For strength of articulation along with vocal drill, practice 
the consonants, b, d, g, 1, m, r, in a similar manner, thus : b, b, b, b, 
boy ; d, d, d, d, dog, etc. 

3. For range and flexibility of pitch sound the vowels a, e, i, 6, 
up and down the scale in spoken tones as though in question and 
answer, thus: Did I say a/ or \a; e./ or \e; etc. After using 
the words of the question a few times omit them and speak the 
vowels, thus : a/, a\ ; e/, e\ ; etc. : 

4. Combine the vowels and consonants in the following table, 
first the vowels with the consonants, as ab, ad, ag, av ; then the con- 
sonants with the vowels as ba, be, bi, bo ; etc. 



a— b 
a— d 


e— b 

e— d 


i— b 

i— d 


0— b 
0— d 


a— g 
a — v 


e — g 
e — v 


i__ g 
i — v 


0— g 

O ;V 



This was the favorite exercise of Wendell Phillips, at Harvard, 
and it was similar exercise that Henry Ward Beecher practiced 
daily during his college course, exercises which laid the foundation 
for his. marvelous vocal effectiveness in his later years. 

Moreover the business man to be effective as a speaker must 
articulate well and pronounce according to good authority. An 
audience will. tolerate many crudities in a speaker but they insist 
on hearing and understanding him. A clean-cut definite articula- 
tion is the basis of good delivery. If the utterance be indistinct 
the audience must strain to understand the words. Under such 



10 THOMAS C. TRUEBLOOD 

strain they grow weary and listless. Clear enunciation will re- 
lieve the audience of the strain for words and permit them to 
devote themselves to the thought. The law of correct articulation is 
strength of contact and quickness of release of the articulating 
organs. Skill comes from practice as in everything else. The best 
exercises are to be found in the combinations of consonants; 
initial, e. g. br, bl, dr, dw, etc., and the terminal combinations, 
e. g, bdst, bldst, rbz, dz, etc. Then one should collect the most 
difficult clauses and sentences which one finds in reading or speak- 
ing, of if necessary make up difficult combinations, e. g. : 

"The Japanese sink six Russian ships." 

"Flesh of freshly fried flying fish." 

"The bleak breeze blighted the bright blossoms. " 

"A world too wide for his shrunk shanks." 

Good pronunciation is a mark of culture. To pronounce well 
one must hear good pronunciation. It must become a habit, a 
second nature, and so easy as not to attract attention. Pronun- 
ciation is established by the usage of people of social and intel- 
lectual culture. The dictionary is the record of that usage and 
should be studied and followed by the masses. A standard dic- 
tionary is the most useful hand book not only for pronunciation 
but for definition and derivation of words. When one hears a 
mispronunciation note should be taken of the word that the dic- 
tionary may be consulted in case of doubt at the earliest moment. 
A list of a few hundred such words that are commonly mispro- 
nounced if practiced faithfully will not only give accuracy in 
pronunciation, but will extend the vocabulary, improve the dic- 
tion and enlarge one's general knowledge of the English lan- 
guage. Hand books of such words are numerous and quite inex- 
pensive. 

Another element that must not be overlooked is proper empha- 
sis. This is the special prominence given to words in their rela- 
tion to each other. It develops discrimination and perspective. 
It teaches one to pass easily and lightly over the unimportant 
parts and give weight to important parts, what Shakespeare calls 
"trippingly on the tongue." The law of correct emphasis is this : 
When a Word introduces. or becomes an important part of a new 
idea it is emphatic. This implies that when ideas have been ex- 
pressed or presupposed, words reintroducing them, except for the 
purpose of emphasis, are subordinated. E. g., "Let me have a 
country or at least the hope of a country and that a free coun- 
try." In order to determine the proper place of emphasis in a 
sentence one should ask what the central idea is and what words 
one can least afford to dispense with. Instead of beginning to 
declaim a sentence think how one would say it colloquially to a 
friend. Another effective way of finding the emphasis is by 
changing the words about in the sentence or by paraphrasing it. 
One thus ascertains the purpose of the sentence before giving ex- 



EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN BUSINESS LIFE 11 

pression to it. A grievous fault is excessive emphasis which de- 
feats its own purpose by particularizing too much. When one 
tries to make everything emphatic nothing is emphatic. It is 
like excess of color, without light and shade, and without per- 
spective. Words should be made strong by giving them a set- 
ting different from words near them, by elevating or lowering 
them in pitch, by lengthening the inflection, by giving them more 
time, by pausing before and after them, by changing the character 
of the tone in quality, form or stress. It is the pleasing and 
natural variety of speech which holds attention and gives oppor- 
tunity for instruction and persuasion. It is by means of the ele- 
ments of vocal expression that emphasis is secured, that truth is 
set forth, that fallacy is avoided, for bad emphasis gives wrong 
impressions and is therefore bad logic. To illustrate: Supplied 
words in the Bible are italicised but it does not follow that they 
are emphatic. The word him in the following verse is such a 
word. The preacher who emphasized it was guilty of a fallacy: 
"And he spake to his sons, saying, 'Saddle me the ass/ and they 
saddled him." — Kings xiii, 27. 

But this suggests that a thorough study of the elements of 
vocal expression should be made by the student of public speak- 
ing. It is as necessary to the success of a speaker as the science of 
mathematics is to the astronomer, or a knowledge of the elements 
of chemistry to the pharmacist. Such a study is wholly beyond 
the limits of this article. There are many books on the princi- 
ples of expression and many good teachers of the subject. Both 
books and teachers should be employed by the student of oratory 
until a working knowledge of the subject is gained. 

Let us now consider the personal preparation of the student 
from an intellectual standpoint and from the standpoint of the 
speech itself. It is the duty of the student to broaden his general 
culture as much as possible because of its influence upon life in 
general and particularly upon his work as a public man. It is 
the best way to prolong the period of youth, for he who is earnest 
in the pursuit of ideas and useful experience has no time to brood 
over trouble or think of the 'fills that flesh is heir to." Breadth 
of mind, wide knowledge and wholesome experience strengthen 
personality and personal power. Knowledge and experience are 
the basis of speech. One cannot hope to speak well without 
wide general knowledge, and without special information on the 
question to be discussed. Breadth of culture and attainment add 
to general usefulness and personal strength, and special or pro- 
fessional knowledge adds to the usefulness of the speaker for a 
particular occasion and for the special subject under investiga- 
tion and discussion. 

Rhetoric and oratory are means to the end of establishing 
truth, and no one can hope to succeed as a public man unless he 
reaches sound conclusions in regard to public problems. He can 



12 THOMAS C: TRUEBLOOD 

only reach those conclusions by thorough knowledge of the ques- 
tion in all its phases. He must not only know his side of the 
case, but he must get the view-point of the opposition. Lincoln's 
success in his debates with Douglas was due to his untiring en- 
ergy in seeking the arguments most likely to be presented by 
Douglas, and in meeting those arguments with fairness and con- 
sistency. The man who blindly proceeds without taking into ac- 
count what his opponent is likely to say is sure to be tripped up 
in debate. It was the custom of Fox, the great English parlia- 
mentarian, to state the case of the opposition stronger than they 
,ould put it themselves and then overthrow it point by point. 
Common sense, logical skill, knowledge of men are essential 
points in preparation for public speaking. It is much to know 
the facts in a case, it is more to "show judgment in the presenta- 
tion of argument and tact in the adaptation of thought to the 
occasion. Skill in the fitness of argument comes from practice 
in speaking, from the confidence one gains in repeated effort, 
from the stimulation one receives from the actual measuring of 
his strength with that of others. No one can attain skill in swim- 
ming or in tennis by reading about them. Skill comes from the 
trial and the practice. After one has gained a working knowl- 
edge of the essentials of public speaking he should immediately 
put those principles into practice by writing and speaking. 

The first condition for the preparation of a speech is the mas- 
tery of the material on the subect by reading and observation. 
In taking notes it is suggested that the card system should be 
used, i. e., cards or slips of paper three or four inches long and 
half as wide. Each Card is devoted to a separate idea so that 
when one is through -gathering material and a working outline 
has been made one may shuffle the cards into logical order. In 
taking notes one should gather thought in one's own language 
unless of course the intention is to quote. It is also desirable 
that the sources of information should be carefully preserved 
for future reference in case one should want to cite authority 
more fully. 

After having gathered the material and mastered the underlying 
principles the next step in the progress of the spe*ech is the de- 
velopment of a more mature plan. There will be the usual gen- 
eral divisions, the introduction, the discussion and the conclu- 
sion. It should be the purpose of the introduction to get posses- 
sion of the audience, to conciliate them and create a friendly feel- 
ing toward himself, and to arouse interest in the subject under 
consideration. Each sentence of the introduction should bear 
directly on the subject. The style should be simple, more in the 
nature of narrative, historical or expository. Proof and persua- 
sion should be excluded from this part of the discourse. It is 
usual at the conclusion of the introduction to set forth the main 
topics or issues to be considered. 



EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN BUSINESS LIFE 13 

' The discussion proper takes up these main divisions and treats 
them separately, developing them fully and in logical order. 
Usually the first part of the speech is historical in character, the 
middle portion considers the present status of the subject, and 
the last part offers a solution of the problem and suggests a hope- 
ful outlook. There should be a growth, of interest with each di- 
vision. Exposition and argument. should always precede, persua- 
sion. But this does not mean that persuasion may not be intro- 
duced in the body of the speech when an argument has made a 
telling effect. It may be introduced whenever conviction has 
been reached. But the parts that are usually most fitting for the 
use of persuasion are the ends of the divisions of the speech, 
and the conclusion. The whole speech should be climatic in 
character, a growth from the first, with the main purpose of the 
speech kept steadily in view. A speech to be thoroughly interest- 
ing must not be too abstract. A few good stories will add to the 
interest. Get the audience wide awake, get their mouths open 
with a laugh and then throw in a morsel of wisdom. 

The conclusion should be in the nature of a summary of the 
main points of the speech, a marshalling in review of the intel- 
lectual forces called into the conflict. It gives opportunity for great 
force of expression and appeal, a final chance to awaken the con- 
science of the audience, to bring before them loftiest sentiments 
and ideals, to reach the highest moral level of the speech. It is 
the supreme opportunity for persuasiveness. To be effective one 
must be convinced that he is right and urge his convictions with all 
the force and effect he can command. 

Inquiry is often made by young students as to the best form of 
outline for a speech. The following is a skeleton form that is 
used ^pretty generally by students of public speaking in the Uni- 
versity of Michigan. It will be observed that no letters are used 
in the brief except Roman letters for the main divisions of the dis- 
cussion. The numerals are more useful in oral address if occa- 
sion requires the naming of headings in order. 

Introduction. II 



I I 

2 (I). 

3 [i] 

2 



Discussion. III. 

I i 



I (i) 

(I) • 2.... 



(2)-. (I). 

[I] [I] 



••• 3--. v •• 

( i) Conclusion. 

(2) I 

2 



14 THOMAS C. TRUEBLOOD - 

The brief differs from the outline in that each division is a com- 
plete proposition or statement, so that in reading it one may easily 
get the gist of the argument. It is easy to see that a brief ex- 
tended by the introduction of evidence, authority and illustration 
becomes a speech. The question is often asked whether students 
should speak from memory or extemporize as far as words are 
concerned. It depends upon the occasion. In an oratorical con- 
test where one is limited in time or in words one should of course 
commit his production. In a debate there should be an intermin- 
gling of the two methods. If the speech is fifteen minutes in 
length at least a third of the time should be allowed for extempo- 
rizing in rebuttal and in adapting oneself to what the opponents 
are doing. This gives opportunity for "tackling," that is, meeting 
at once and grappling the arguments of the opposition. You can- 
not foresee the course an opponent will take with sufficient accu- 
racy wholly to write and commit. Then it lacks the life and spon- 
taneity of "the give and take" method of extemporization. The 
main arguments may be prepared and committed but opportunity 
should be left for immediate adaptation. 

As one advances in life and becomes more skilled in the art of 
speaking, it becomes more and more slavish for him to commit a 
speech. Most great orators have used the method of writing their 
earlier speeches but of gradually relinquishing the habit of com- 
mitting verbatim as they have grown more fluent. While the stu- 
dent is advised to write and commit in the beginning, he is also 
advised to cultivate fluency and freedom to the extent that he may 
leave to the moment the selection of the 'exact words. Every self- 
respecting public speaker should write out his speeches, because 
writing stimulates thought and the logical process, because it im- 
proves the diction and extends the vocabulary, because the phrases 
coined in the study will stick in the memory without effort, and 
because it is a compliment to the audience for one to make thor- 
ough preparation. With a bare outline in the mind or on a few 
slips of paper, with perhaps a few paragraphs of special impor- 
tance committed, the speaker goes before his audience and is ready 
to yield to touches of inspiration which come oftenest to him who 
has made thorough preparation in his study. 

Now a word as to directness and earnestness m delivery. To 
be direct one must speak to not at or over his audience. Direct- 
ness is the searching-out element which is so charming in conver- 
sation, and which should be carried into public address. It is 
strange why so many men get up in the pulpit or on the platform 
and assume an ethereal air, and take on the "heavenly tone." 
The singsong, chanting method destroys directness. No one who 
is in earnest when he has information to give or an appeal to 
make is going to sing it out. 

The best way to get directness is to speak to a few friends in a 
small room and call their names one after the other in opening 



IftflSCTIVE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN BUSINESS LIFE 15 

consecutive sentences. Look at them and talk to them and let 
most gestures be between you and them; and then be earnest. 
How can one expect to move others and be half-hearted himself ? 
One should not only know the subject thoroughly and believe in 
the message, but one should be physically, mentally and morally 
earnest about it. The desire to serve men in the highest sense 
is a source of moral earnestness. It begets self-respect and moral 
courage, prime elements in the effectiveness of the public speaker. 



BOOKS OF REFERENCE 

ELOCUTION 

1. Practical Elocution, Fulton and Trueblood; Ginn & Co., 

Boston. 

2. Essentials of Public Speaking, Fulton and Trueblood; Ginn 

& Co., Boston. 

3. Principles of Vocal Expression, Chamberlain & Clark ; Scott, 

Foresman & Co., Chicago. 

4. The Orator's Manual, Raymond ; S. C. Griggs & Co., Chi- 

cago. 

5. Principles of Public Speaking, Lee ; Putnam & Co., New 

York. 

6. Analytic Elocution, Murdoch; Amer. Book Co., New York. 

7. Province of Expression, Curry ; Boston. 

ORATORY 

1. Effective Speaking, Phillips; The Newton Co., Chicago. 

2. How to Attract and Hold an Audience, Essenwein ; Hinds & 

Noble, N. Y. 

3. Modern American Oratory, Ringwalt; Henry Holt & Co., 

New York, 

4. The Rhetoric of Oratory, Shurter; Macmillan & Co., Chi- 

cago. 

5. Extempore Speaking, Shurter ; Ginn & Co., Boston. 

6. Extemporaneous Oratory, Buckley ; Curts & Jennings, N. Y. 

7. Forms of Public Address, Baker ; Henry Holt & Co., N. Y. 

DEBATING 

1. Argumentation and Debate, Lay cock and Scales ; Macmillan 

& Co., Chicago. 

2. Principles of Argumentation, Baker ; Ginn & Co., Boston. 

3. Argumentation- and Debating, Foster; Houghton, Mifflin 

& Co., Boston. 

4. Essentials of Argumentation, McEwan ; D. C Heath & Co., 

Boston. 

5. Art of Debate, Alden; Henry Holt & Co.* N. Y. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



027 249 435 6 



\ 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



027 249 435 6 



Hollinger Corp. 
pH 8.5 



